Foreign women as population fix? Korean governor ignites backlash

Kim Hee-su (Newsis)

Kim Hee-su, the governor of Jindo in South Jeolla Province, drew public backlash for his controversial comment about "importing" young women from overseas to address population decline in the region.

The comment was made at a town hall meeting of South Jeolla Province regional leaders held Wednesday at the Haenam Culture and Arts Center in Haenam.

During the meeting, which focused on the planned integration of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju, Kim urged authorities to legislate the issue of population decline in the area.

"If it comes to it, we should import young women from Sri Lanka or Vietnam for young men in rural regions to marry, or come up with other solutions. What good is revitalizing the industry if there are no people?" he said.

The comment sparked complaints from over 15,000 viewers watching via YouTube livestream and from meeting participants.

"I think the comment about marriage and the importing of foreigners was inappropriate," said Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung, who sealed the integration deal last week with South Jeolla Gov. Kim Yung-rok.

Kang and Gov. Kim attended Wednesday's event, along with the heads of regional government offices in the southwestern region. They addressed questions and concerns from 100 residents in attendance.

South Jeolla Province will hold three more town meetings, the last of which takes place Feb. 13, to receive resident feedback on the imminent integration.

The ongoing issue of population decline in the regions outside Greater Seoul, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, remains a pressing concern.

Thirteen counties and cities in South and North Jeolla Provinces were categorized as at high risk of disappearing due to population losses, according to November data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.